Amari Hale
There are so many reasons – not least of which is that it's something the world's greatest interior designers routinely do to create a fabulously cohesive feel. ‘Diversity and continuity play equally important roles in a home, but it is a fine line.
Unexpected arrivals can create a sense of chaos and unease,’ says Ottalie Stride, Creative Director at Albion Nord (opens in new tab).
This is a great way to develop schemes; a cinema or bar can be more playful than a kitchen or bedroom but colors can be subtly carried from one to the next so there aren’t any shocking surprises.’
‘You can enjoy the colors you love all the time by inverting your preferred shades between rooms; this will add a new dimension to your home whilst remaining in keeping with your chosen palette,’ explains Will Thompson of Valspar (opens in new tab). ‘For example, a living room space wrapped in neutral shades can be complemented with bold, deeper tones.
This can be echoed in the other rooms of the home by simply switching up the dominant color in each space to expand the scheme elsewhere.’ Easy on the eye and perfect if you want to lighten up a kitchen that doesn’t get a ton of natural light, these neutral shades create a classic and stylish look. Shades that match tonally have the same strength, regardless of their color (as you can see in this bathroom by Little Greene (opens in new tab) ), and in their own way, are harmonious. 'When each room complements each other in this way it can be hugely comforting and naturally creates a much calmer environment to live in, particularly when space is limited.’ Choose the room that you frequent the most as a starting point for your whole house color scheme. Melissa Klink, Creative Director at Harvey Jones (opens in new tab) says, ‘The kitchen is the perfect environment for experimenting with color on both a large or small scale.
Follow the example of this space and use metallics and dark wood as the constant between the two floors too – consistency is the main element to making the whole house color scheme work. To create a truly cohesive feel, consider, use a family of colors in combination, as Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director at Little Greene explains: ‘Using shades from the same color family will work beautifully as a canvas for a coordinated palette of home furnishings whilst still adding design interest in a subtle way. A good palette to utilize is the Little Greene "Color Scales (opens in new tab)" collection.
'Our most popular colors sit within families of four graduated tones, made using the same pigments, but in different strengths. 'These groups of colors are a timeless choice if you are looking for soft, neutral tones to provide natural movement throughout the home.
Use shots of subtle color and bolder accents elsewhere to enhance the mood and impact as you wander around. Here, a dramatic inky blue is a bold choice and one that you shouldn't hesitate to recreate if you dare. We often neglect the most used areas – the entryway, the hallways and landings – but this is where whole house color scheming comes to the fore.
